The Price of Redemption
by AlexSnape-36
Summary: After graduating from Hogwarts, Severus realizes he must make a choice- love or power. Years later he wants her back. Will she give him another chance? Can he find a way to redeem himself? How far will they go to get back want he threw away?
1. On the Hogwarts Express

Chapter One: On the Hogwarts Express

"Angela, come on! We're going to miss the train!" my friend, Crissa, yells at me in frustration.

She's almost my exact opposite. She's short, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. I'm tall with brown hair and blue eyes. Crissa is as engrossed in sports as I am the library. For the most part I'm closer, at least personality wise, to our mutual friend Lily Evans. But as different as we are, we're close enough friends that we could almost be sisters.

I quickly follow Crissa onto the train and into one of the seating compartment close to the back.

"It's about time you two got here." Lily greets us teasingly.

"Hello to you, too." Crissa mutters.

_One Hour Later_

"Very Funny." Crissa says sarcastically, obviously not amused. Lily and I had been teasing her about her infatuation with James Potter. "Lily, we both know James hardly ever even notices me, and when he actually does talk to me, he's only trying to get me to convince you to go out with him!"

"Well, I can't stand him, so he's out of luck. Honestly! I don't know what you see in him, Crissa." Lily replies.

"At least he does notice you. I doubt Severus Snape even knows my name." I point out.

The only thing I don't like about Lily is that she has practically every boy at Hogwarts wrapped around her little finger, and she rarely even notices.

"Well, _I_ don't know what you see in old Snivellus!" Crissa dares, "He's mean and ugly, and just plain ma-"

I cut her off with a swift kick to her leg.

"Ouch! What was that for?" she demands.

"Don't talk about him like that." I snap.

"Lay off of him, Crissa. He's alright. Besides, the only reason you don't like him is because James doesn't." Lily speaks up on my behalf.

"He likes you." I tell her, though she'd have to be blind to have not noticed by now.

She rolls her eyes and stands up. "Come on. We'd better get into our robes. We'll be at Hogwarts soon."

* * *

><p>My two best friends and I step off of the train and stare up at the enchanted castle. I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful… I'm home.<p> 


	2. A Nice Change

Chapter Two: A Nice Change

"Let me go!"I yell at Sirius as he magically binds me to the ground, unable to move and my wand just out of my reach.

James laughs at me. "Don't you want to be a damsel in distress? Maybe Snivellus will come save you." He mocks.

"Or maybe I'll just come and kick your bloody arse." Severus returns, walking up behind him with his wand drawn.

"Well if it isn't the git himself." Sirius sneers. "Guess who has a crush Snivellus?"

"Let her go and I'll consider not hexing your balls off." Severus snarls.

Sirius turns his wand on Snape. "Was that a threat?"

"Give her a kiss, Snivellus, and I'll let her go." James taunts.

"Potter, either release me or I'll tell Lily just how big of a git you really are." I growl. "And that is a threat, Black!"

"We'd better let her go mate." Sirius mutters edgily, "You wouldn't want your girlfriend finding out."

James turns to me with a glare. "You tell anyone anything and Snivellus here gets it!" he threatens.

"Oh, because that will really make her forgive you for torturing her friend." Severus sneers sarcastically.

"You going to kiss her Snivellus, or am I going to get to have a bit more fun with her?" James asks eagerly.

"I believe the real question is, are you going to let her go, or do I get to hex you. Actually, either way you'll probably get hexed, but at least I'm making it sound as though you have a choice." Severus mocks.

I roll my eyes and catch sight of Crissa emerging from the castle. It feels as if the entire school is watching, and I'm more than just a little eager to get this over with.

"Crissa!"I yell. Her gaze meets mine, and it only takes a couple of seconds for her to push past a few on lookers and to our little group. Sirius points his wand at Snape, who, caught off guard, soon finds himself hanging upside down. James casts another hex and Snape starts choking on pink bubbles.

"Expelliarmus!" Crissa shouts, knocking Sirius off his feet. Snape fall to the ground and quickly picks up his wand, getting rid of the bubbles and removing the charm holding me to the ground. Crissa turns her wand on James.

"You're pathetic!" she spits. "I can't believe I ever liked you! How dare you attack Angela just because she's in love with-"

I quickly cut her off. "Crissa stop!"

Severus sends me a curious look. I just barely get up the nerve to meet his gaze before grabbing Crissa's arm and pulling her back towards the castle. A moment later Severus falls into stride next to us.

"What do you want, Snape?"I demand in frustration.

"I think you owe me and explanation." He says simply.

"Really, because I don't think I owe you anything."I counter.

"Would you stop for a second?" Crissa snaps, pulling out of my grip. "I have to tell you something."

I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Lily's in the hospital wing. She was attacked by a drunk in Hogsmeade."

My eyes widen, shocked. "Can we see her?"

She nods. "She looks ok, but Madame Pomfrey wants to keep her overnight just in case."

"Alright," I mutter, pushing my fingers through my hair. "Then let's go to the hospital wing."

I start walking again. Much to my annoyance, Severus keeps up.

"May I go with you?" He requests.

I roll my eyes and reply, "You know she's dating Potter now right?"

"I don't see what that has to do with me." He replies stiffly.

I stop again in frustration." What do you want Snape?"

"An explanation, and to accompany you to the hospital wing." He answers simply.

"I have nothing to say to you. I can't keep you from following us, but you'd best stay out of our way." I relent finally.

He nods once and follows quietly behind us.

Lily whistles softly as we walk into the room. Her eyes lighting up as she notices Severus tailing us.

"I see you've finally caught-"she starts. I cut her off with a glare.

"What's wrong?" she asks, frowning.

"Your boyfriend," I snap.

She groans and pushes herself into a sitting position with her head comfortably propped up on a pillow. "Perfect," she mutters, "What did he do this time?"

Crissa starts to answer, but Severus jumps into the conversation. "He's accused her of fancying me, and it's obviously pissed her off."

"Oh, Crissa, you didn't…?" Lily groans.

"It was an accident! I didn't mean to tell him! I'm so sorry, Angela!" Crissa says quickly in her defense.

"So your name is Angela?" Severus questions me, sending me another curious look.

"That makes me feel a lot better." I snap sarcastically.

"Yes, and she's fancied you since fifth year when you kept that old tree from falling on us. Remember?" Lily answers quickly before I can stop her.

"Lily!" I object angrily.

"I remember." Severus agrees calmly. "So that's why James wanted me to kiss you?"

"I'm going to kill him!" Lily swears bitterly.

"Don't," Severus objects hesitantly.

Lily raises her eyebrows at him in surprise.

"Well, if it weren't for him trying to make us miserable, I wouldn't have realized this until it was too late." He explains simply, shrugging.

"There's nothing to realize." I snap before turning around and storming out of the room.

Snape frowns in confusion.

"You basically just told her that if she hadn't been tortured by Potter you wouldn't have noticed her, which implies that you're not attracted to her, which upsets her, which she hides with anger." Lily explains irritably.

"In other words, if you like her go after her, and if you don't then leave her alone." Crissa adds more simply.

They stare at him curiously, waiting for him to make a decision.

"Oh, fine!" he snaps impatiently, before leaving the room at a brisk pace.

Silence fill the room for a moment before Crissa grabs one of Lily's chocolates and says, "Well, that was a nice change from the usual circumstances."


	3. Trouble

Chapter Three: Trouble

"Wait, Angela, I didn't mean that the way you think I did!" Severus yells after me.

I pause just outside of the common room to catch my breath and compose myself. He quickly catches up and slams me back against the wall.

"Severus Snape, get your filthy hands off of me!" I yell angrily, trying in vain to jerk out of his grasp.

"Not until you talk to me!" he objects stubbornly, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"And what? Get rejected? All you could think about was my best friend!" I sneer angrily.

He hesitantly lets go of me, realizing I was right. "I'm sorry," he apologizes hesitantly.

"No you're not." I snap at him.

"Let me make it up to you. Go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend. How does 3 o'clock sound?" he asks quickly.

I study him, my anger quickly fading despite my determination to stay mad at him. "No," I answer finally.

"Who's rejecting who now?" he snaps bitterly, backing away from me.

"You didn't let me finish!" I object.

"Fine then, what's left to say?" he demands, obviously not wanting to hear it.

"That I'll have a lot of homework Saturday and will need to leave early enough to have plenty of time to finish it when we get back." I reply nervously, avoiding his gaze.

A look of shock crosses his face, but is quickly replaced with a smirk, "Noon?"

"I'd love to."

* * *

><p>We had, to my surprise, hit it off instantly. He was often quiet and reserved, as though he had trouble letting anyone in. I didn't understand until two months later.<p>

Severus was Slytherin head boy and had his own room, so that was where we went most often. He valued his privacy, and mine, and preferred not to air our relationship out where anyone could see it. He'd given me the password to his room and altered his wards so that they would recognize me.

It was the first Friday after Christmas break. I had stayed at Hogwarts over the holidays. Severus had planned to as well, but his mother had owled, requesting he come home until school started back up. We'd both been busy the first week back so I hadn't had much time to see him. I thought a surprise visit was in order. I'd visited unannounced so many times before that it didn't occur to me that I should knock. I softly muttered the password and went in, never expecting to see what I did.

Severus was sitting in front of a mirror bare-chested and extremely attractive. It was the first time I'd seen him without a shirt on. However, it wasn't the physical attraction that caught me off guard. Severus had an large bruise on his back with a slash going straight through it. In the mirror I could see a similar, though slightly smaller bruise on his chest and a hand shaped bruise on his arm. He quickly jumped up and pulled on his shirt as I shut the door behind me.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he snarled defensively.

"Well, seeing as you are my boyfriend and you did give me the password, I would think you would want me here." I answers hesitantly, "Severus, what happened to you?"

"It's none of your bloody business!" he replies angrily, trying to push a jar of some sort of salve out of my line of sight.

"Pain reliever?" I frown, "Severus...here, let me help you."

I move to try to take the jar, but he blocks my path. "I don't need your help!" he objects.

"You can't do your back by yourself." I point out, "And it looks worse than the others. It's going to get infected if you don't let me help you."

He studies me for a moment before reluctantly giving in and pulling his shirt back off, sitting down on the bed and avoiding my gaze. I climb onto the bed behind him and trace the wound with my wand, healing him before rubbing the salve into his skin.

"Who did this to you, love?" I ask softly, not expecting him to answer. Severus was as stubborn as he was brilliant.

Much to my surprise, after a moment he answers.

"Before Christmas break ended my father went into one of his drunken episodes. He attacked my mother. I couldn't just stand there and watch, and there were consequences for my interference."

I go still. Shocked that his own father would do this to him, and equally surprised that his mother would allow it.

"Your mom just let him do this to you?"

"My mother is physically and mentally ill. She has cancer and is suffering from depression. She hasn't been the same since my father snapped her wand. They've always argued…but its gotten worse. She doesn't have the strength or the energy to protect herself, let alone me. Why else do you think she made me go home? She knew dad was losing it again."

"Again?" I frown, "This has happened before?'

"I can't help the way my parents are. It's just a part of my life. I understand if you no longer want to be." He replies hesitantly.

I stay silent, finishing what I'd started and magically cleaning the salve from my hands before standing up and putting the sealed jar on his desk. Turning back to him, I move to kneel on the bed in front of him, running my fingers down the side of his face and onto his chest.

Brushing my lips against his, I softly whisper, "I'm not leaving you, Sev."

He pulls me onto his lap and presses his lips in a deeps kiss before pushing me back on his bed.

"Then stay with me tonight?" he asks, studying me.

I nod and he shifts so that he's lying down on his stomach, his arm draped across my waist.

"I love you, Angel."

* * *

><p>My eyes fly open as someone knocks loudly on the door. I quickly glance around at my surroundings, the events of last night coming back to me.<p>

I glance at Sev, who is staring intently at the ceiling, listening to my friends scream at him. The door shakes as someone slams into it.

"Let her go, Snape, or I swear I'll kill you!" a female voice yells.

Severus meets my gaze as he realizes I'm awake. He smirks, "They're trying to take down that last ward that's holding the door shut. Lily and Crissa don't sound happy. I'm almost afraid to let them in. They were here earlier. I have a feeling they brought back reinforcements."

I sigh, "Apparently they're under the impression that I can't make my own decisions. It's not as though we've slept together yet."

"Yet?" he repeats raising an eyebrow in amusement.

Before I can answer, the door flies open and my two friends rush in, followed closely by Lupin and Pettigrew. All four of them had their wands drawn. Severus quickly rolls out of bed and grabs his own wand off his side table, careful not to turn his back on them.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing!" I yell at them angrily.

They gap at Severus, who's bruises were almost faded, but still obvious.

"What happened to you?" Lupin asks, being the first to lower his wand.

"I could ask you the same thing, werewolf." Severus sneers at him.

Lupin's face darkens, but he doesn't reply.

I sigh exasperatedly and climb out of bed, pushing them out of Severus's room.

"I'll see you later, Sev." I mutter, closing the door behind me.

"What were you thinking?" I yell at them, not bothering to wait until we're back in Gryffindor tower.

"What's wrong with him?" Crissa asks in disgust. "It's like he's diseased or something."

"It's not his fault his father is a sorry excuse for a human being!" I blurt out without thinking, quickly covering my mouth with the back of my hands once I'd realized what I'd done.

"His dad did that to him?" Lily asks in concern.

I glare at her.

"I'm so sorry, Angela, we thought…"

"He wouldn't hurt me!" I snap at them.

"What are we going to do?" Lily asks.

"Nothing." I answer instantly, "There's nothing you can do."

"He's bad luck." Pettigrew pipes up, "He hangs out with that deatheater crowd. You should dump him."

"I'm not leaving him." I object, "Stay out of this Pettigrew. You just don't like him because James doesn't."

Lily rolls her eyes, "He's right you know. Severus Snape is trouble."


	4. Years Later

**Chapter 4: Years Later**

I walk quickly down the corridor, trying to block out the memories that were still fresh in my mind after all the years, despite the fact that I hadn't been back to Hogwarts since I graduated. I had never gotten over Severus Snape's last good-bye. He'd told me that he had never loved me. That he never wanted to see me again. I had gotten onto the Hogwarts express in tears, but with the help of my friends, had slowly regained my dignity. They'd both tried to tell me that I was too good for him, but nothing they said could ease the pain. So I ran. I ran and started over and never looked back. That is…I never looked back until I was called upon by my best friend.

I came back to Hogwarts because Voldemort was threatening the wizarding world. My world. I came back to join the Order of the Phoenix. I was dreading the thought of seeing Severus again, and wasn't at all surprised when they'd told me he'd joined Voldemort's ranks. A part of me still didn't want to believe he had…the same part of me that still loved him…the part that had never believed the last thing he'd said to me was true. I thought I had drowned that part of me back home in Ireland. Back home I could go weeks, sometimes even months without thinking about him. I couldn't do that here. I wanted to go home. But at the same time, I couldn't abandon the people I cared about.

I mutter the password to Dumbledore's office and slowly climb the steps, trying to compose myself before having to face the headmaster. The door swings open as I reach the top of the stairs and hear a voice inside telling me to come in.

"It's good to see you still among the living." Dumbledore greets me cheerily.

I smile half heartedly. "Yes, well that last little task was a close call, wasn't it?"

"Luckily, no one was fatally injured." He replies, motioning for me to sit down.

I take a seat on the other side of his desk as he continues. "That is, actually, what I asked you here for. Something strange has happened. I have received a letter from Severus Snape. It seems that he caught sight of you during the last raid you help divert. He wants to speak with you alone. Confident that you would not turn him down, he even sent directions to a flat he temporarily rented in London and has requested that you meet him there at nine thirty tomorrow evening. However, I will not ask you to go, and I strongly advise that, if you do go, you not go alone."

I study him in stunned silence, not sure how to reply as what he was saying slowly sinks in. The impossibility of what was happening was overwhelming. However, after taking it all in, I knew what I had to do.

"Is there any chance that he will form an alliance with us?" I question determinedly.

"I'd like to believe that there is, but you must keep in mind that you are still recovering from your last little expedition…this is dangerous." He answers, choosing his words carefully.

"I want order members to conceal themselves somewhere close by to where I'm supposed to meet him. If I need help, I'll call them… and if I get myself killed you'll have one less deatheater to worry about." I reply quickly, "I think the risk is worth taking."

"It will be difficult for you to see him again." Dumbledore points out.

"I can do this." I object, "It's not personal, it's for the order."

"Then I will owl him that you will be there." He agrees finally.

"Do we know where he's staying?" I ask curiously.

"If we knew that, I would go after him myself." He replies.

He quickly scribbles something down on a piece of paper and gives it to a large black barn owl that was sitting on the corner of his desk before turning back to me.

"I admire your courage, but now I think you should get some rest." He suggests.

"I plan to." I agree standing up. He gets to his feet and follows me to the door.

"And Angela?" he stops me.

I raise an eyebrow as I look back to face him.

"You will be careful? He is not the young man you knew while attending Hogwarts. You must remember that."

"He never was the young man I thought I knew at Hogwarts." I murmur before turning and making my way out of Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>I slowly make my way to the flat, where members of the order were already hiding. They had placed antidisapperation charms on the property and were ready to come if I needed them. I reach the building and went up three flights of stairs and into the first door on my right.<p>

The room was well furnished with a black marble center table, a black leather sofa and a matching chair. The walls and carpet were white, and the window was covered by a thick black curtain.

I nervously gripped my wand and took a seat facing the door. The last few minutes until nine thirty felt as though they lasted on hour, but the door finally swung open and four men filed in. One, of which, was Severus Snape.

I quickly stand up to face them, instantly recognizing them for what they were-deatheaters.

"She's grown quite nicely, Severus." Lucius Malfoy says, his eyes slowly moving down my body as Severus shuts the door behind them.

I ignore him, keeping my attention on the man I was here to see.

"Come alone, my arse." I snap at him.

"If you weren't going to stick to the conditions I couldn't very well risk being out numbered now, could I?" he counters. "We'd have arrived earlier, but we had a run in with your little friends down stairs. Apparently they thought they could intimidate us into staying in line."

"What did you do to them?" I demand fearfully. If they got hurt, it would be my fault.

"You don't trust me, do you?" he observes, narrowing his eyes at me.

"I don't make a habit of trusting my enemies." I snap.

"They are where they were, completely unharmed. I admire their loyalty to you. They said that if we laid I hand on you they'd give us to the giant squid at Hogwarts before handing us over to the ministry." He smirks, "It's her mating season. A very creative punishment in its own right."

"You lay a hand on me, and I'll kill you all myself." I sneer.

"I don't think you're in a position to threaten us!" Lucius snarls, taking out his wand.

"I want you all out!" Severus orders quickly.

"Severus, I don't think-"Lucius starts to object.

"No, I don't need you here. I told you you'd have to leave. It will be easier to make the offer in privacy. Now go." Severus snaps at him.

Lucius glares at him, but Severus holds his gaze with a determined glare of his own.

"Come on, Lucius." One of the other deatheaters cuts in as the others start to leave.

Once they're gone, Severus leans against the closed door and folds his arms across his chest.

"Alone at last." He smirks, studying me.

"Stay away from me." I reply warningly.

I briefly sense a change in his expression, a look of regret in his eyes, perhaps, but he quickly resumes his guarded stance.

"Angel, I didn't ask you to come with the intent to hurt you." He whispers, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

"Then why am I here?" I demand, "what happened to 'I never want to see you again', Snape?"

"Forgive me..." He replies hesitantly, "I was about to become a deatheater. Lucius didn't trust you, and I didn't want you involved at that particular moment."

The silence hangs between us like a curse as he approaches me. Standing in front of me, he lifts his hand to caress the side of my face with the back of his fingers the way he used to. I unconsciously lean into his touch, closing my eyes.

Realizing what I'm doing, I jerk away from him, quickly taking a couple of steps back and silently cursing at myself for letting my guard down so easily.

"You're a deatheater, Severus…I'm a member of the order." I point out, meeting his gaze.

"You don't have to be." He say quietly, studying me.

I gasp, unable to believe what he was suggesting.

"You know, I often wonder what my life would have been like if you hadn't left me, Severus." I begin, searching for the right words. "I wanted all the things we talked about. I wanted the life we planned, and I wanted it with you. When you left me, you took my future with you. You changed your mind at the last second because your friends told you to. You still allow your friends to rule you, which is why you're in the darkness you're in now. You're a coward, Severus." I whisper fiercely, "But you don't have to be."

"Angel,-" he objects, but I cut him off.

"No. If that's the reason you asked me to come, then no. I have no reason to be here."

With that I shot around him and out the door, running down the steps and out of the building. I found the order members in the alley way quietly talking amongst themselves. They all looked up questioningly as I arrived. I shake my head, hiding my disappointment.


End file.
